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Monthly Archives: April 2016

When I was grocery shopping at Mariano’s this weekend, a fruit I had never seen before, the Pichuberry, caught my eye. These interestingly named fruits come from Peru, where both Angeles and Cristofer live. Curious and always up for trying new produce, I got some. They are little plump orange balls, with a somewhat similar taste to a tomato, but much sweeter than the sweetest tomato. And they are less liquidy inside. Probably more similar to a tomatillo, but still much sweeter. Looking it up, they are also packed full of vitamins and minerals and are VERY good for you! It was fun to try something new from their country, and I like them a lot! I’ve been putting some in my salads this week and eating them by themselves too.

I got some more information about Luna, as well as her previous photo. Look at how timid she looks in her first photo, and how she is radiating with confidence in the latest one! THIS is Compassion in work, right here in her transformation in 2 years time. And Luna has had 2 previous sponsors and only received 3 letters between them, as well as 3 gifts. Something tells me this girl is going to be teaching me things, and I cannot wait until I start to hear from her!

I’ve posted little bits before about my job situation not being good at all this school year (I’m a teacher). Last month, after talking with others and determining that it was the best option, I resigned effective the last day of school. Which means I don’t have a job right now come fall, which can be a very scary thought. I am trying to put my trust in God, and know that He will lead me to where I’m supposed to be, but, being human, there is still some anxiety present because of the direness of the situation. One lyric that has been really helping lately is Casting Crown’s “Just Be Held” when he says “You’re world’s not falling apart it’s falling into place.” It helps to believe that I went through all I did this year to have to find a new, better job, which is where I’m supposed to end up. That all being said, I have 2 interviews the next 2 days, one of which is at a place that I especially love. I’m so hopeful that I’m starting to get them, but interviewing tends to make me second guess myself. If you are reading this and could spare a few seconds for prayers, I would greatly appreciate it. Thank you

The Act for Compassion Conference was last weekend, but I wanted to make sure I had the time to make a post representative of just how fantastic it was. I think the best way that I could describe the conference, besides amazingly full of love and positivity, is a call to action. I know I, and I’m sure I speak for most if not all sponsors who attended, left with a feeling of wanting to do even MORE. More for children whose lives can be changed through Compassion and their sponsors. And this feeling didn’t come from guilting us, it didn’t come from lectures telling us what we should do, but rather through giving us the feeling that we have the means and the potential to help God in truly changing countless lives. With that, we can take the initiative. And through Compassion’s new site, actforcompassion.com, it’s easier than ever!

Shaun Groves on Friday night

The panel featured in the documentary doing a Q&A after

The conference started Friday evening, with singing with Shaun Groves and the premiere of Jon Ross’s documentary, “Central Help”. If you have followed Compassion, chances are you’re familiar with Shaun Groves and all he has done for the ministry. It was so great to hear him sing and even greater to hear him speak the next day! Jon Ross grew up locally in the Chicago area in poverty. His documentary features both stories of poverty in both Chicago and Nicaragua, and with this, it features HOPE. It was very touching and especially resonating to me because some of these stories, especially that of Deondre, featured in the documentary and present for the panel after, were so similar to the students of the school district I teach in. Here is a short teaser video:

Just LISTEN to those in poverty and let them share their stories- that alone can make a big difference.

If you have a car, refrigerator, etc. you are part of the top 5% in the world.

If only just all of the Christians in the US gave 10% of their income, we could eliminate extreme poverty.

We can take religion and going to church in the US for granted. Whereas, in other countries, they are so HUNGRY for it and want it so badly.

There is always hope, even in extreme poverty, and hope will get you through.

Jon’s challenge: Now that you’ve heard these stories, what are YOU going to do to help spread their message?

Day 2 of the conference started with worship in song and a talk from Shaun, and then we all completed a Walk for Compassion together. Shaun’s talk was beautiful, and full of points through Bible verses that really hit home. And the walk was so wonderfully done, and so powerful. It is completed with your smartphone and set up in stations. Each station has a theme and a video, as well as a visual demonstration, with talking points for those in your group to discuss in between stations. It follows the story of a boy growing up in poverty, showing how these things are very real through his perspective. This is something that people really need to see and experience, because it is so influential. There was a quiet, almost somber mood as we went through, but it ended in beautiful hope. I took pictures of each station (click on photos for descriptions):

Station 1: Food, shows a comparison between a typical lunch for us versus a child in poverty.

A pile of garbage provided a powerful visual, thinking that children regularly search through piles like this to try to find something to eat

Station 2: Shelter, shows the size of a typical home with ropes, and allows individuals to step inside to feel just how small it feels

Station 3: Water, contains a very heavy jug of water, explaining that children often have to carry this very far back to their families to have clean water, and allows participants to pick it up and feel the weight. It shows visuals of what the dirty nearby water looks like, and provides water bottles to participants with the warning to drink carefully, because you’ll need to make it last all day.

Station 4 presents a dilemma of what to spend money found on the street on. Participants take a plastic coin and make a very heavy choice, by placing it into one of three jars. Coins were rather evenly distributed between the 3, showing that there really is no right choice in this seemingly impossible decision.

Station 5 features talk bubbles with very demoralizing, defeating comments children with poverty are told and can be convinced of, such as “you don’t matter”

Station 6 displays a banner with the word POVERTY shown largely on it. There is a table with stickers with the word hope on it. Participants write their names on the stickers, and stick them on the banner, in order to cover up the word poverty and replace it with hope through those who are doing something about it.

Finally, the walk concludes with tables of child sponsorship packets.

We were also given the opportunity to choose 2 workshops to attend. While I cannot speak for all of them, the 2 that I attended were fantastic. Hearing Shaun Groves speak to a small group of us in the social media one especially was full of really great, important points, that all advocates should hear.

Takeaways from Day 2:

The goal is not for you to suffer so that others have what they need- the goal is for all of us to be more equal.

If everyone took what they needed, no one would have too much or too little.

Reflecting on the Lord’s prayer and “Give us this day our daily bread”, a fellow sponsor shared that we have so much more than our daily bread, and we need to give God the opportunity to provide this for us.

There is a new role in the works of an encourager: you can sign up on your “My Account” and can write a letter to a child that hasn’t received one in 6 months. I know I personally can’t wait for this!

With the new letter writing process, they are hoping to eventually get the turnaround time down to 2 weeks!

It’s ok to show your children pictures of things that are better than how they have it, says a former sponsored child Ben Mwangi (aka “rolling meadows”), because it lets them know that there is something better out there to aspire to.

From Shaun: To reach potential sponsors, it is better to provide stories than facts. Include your own personal story about why you became a sponsor. Ask yourself “What was it that convinced me?” If you are giving facts, compare them to something that people already know and find horrific (i.e. 9/11, the Holocaust).

From Shaun: People will take the easiest option that is given to them, so if you ask them to pray about it, that is what they will do. It is ok to ask them to sponsor a child. Then give them an easy way to act on it, such as a direct link.

From Shaun: You need to forgive your audience. It’s easy to become upset with people who don’t sponsor when you know they have the means, but “We need to be as compassionate to the rich and big as we are to the poor and small”. A very powerful reminder. Those guilted into sponsorships are the ones most likely to drop them. Make people so inspired and excited that they want to sponsor!

It was a fantastic weekend indeed, and as mentioned in a previous post, it inspired me to create my first sponsorship campaign and as a result, take on another sponsorship myself. (Here is the link to my campaign.) If you have any questions about the conference that I didn’t cover, feel free to ask!

This beautiful girl is Luna. She is 12 years old and from Colombia, and we share the same birthday. She is the newest addition to my Compassion sponsored children. Here’s what happened… Last night, as I was reviewing my sponsorship campaign site (more on that in a minute), I felt inexplicably drawn to browse through the children waiting for sponsors. It always pulls on my heartstrings when I see pictures of these children, and I like to pray for them that they find the right sponsors and soon. However, when I saw Luna’s picture, I felt something else; something more. I saw her and I knew, she had to be my newest Compassion daughter. I’ve found with my other children, that when you feel a strong pulling towards a child, as I’m sure any of you sponsors do, that that is the hand of God. Still, I decided to pray. I prayed that if Luna was supposed to be mine, that God would let me know by keeping this calling in my heart. I walked away and did other things to see if when I came back, I still felt that calling. Well, I did. I had it within my means to take on another sponsorship and still be ok, at least right now, so I clicked through to start the sponsorship and immediately I felt a combination of excitement and peace. You see, I have an income through the rest of the summer, but I chose to resign from my current teaching job at the end of May due to many changes to the district and practices that affected me and my students this year that I am not comfortable with. I don’t currently have a job lined up yet for the fall, although I am actively working on it. It is quite scary, leaving a job without having another one lined up, but it is a huge exercise in trusting in God.

Considering all of this, I thought back to one sponsor who shared her story this past weekend during the Act for Compassion Conference. After saying the Lord’s Prayer one day, she reflected on the line “give us this day our daily bread”. She realized that she had more than enough, and she wasn’t giving God the opportunity to truly provide her daily bread, since she had enough to provide it herself and more. As a result, she felt called to sponsor a large number of children, and ever since, God has provided and she has miraculously had enough to fund their sponsorships month after month. Her amazing story really stuck with me. And if she could sponsor many, many more children, I could certainly sponsor Luna, and trust that God will help to provide us both our daily bread.

Which brings me to my sponsorship campaign. After the conference, I was inspired to create a campaign through Act for Compassion, with a goal of getting 5 children sponsors. Now, thanks to a push from God, I have 1 child out of 5 sponsored. So, I challenge you this: whether you’re already a sponsor or not, I challenge you to take a leap of faith and put your trust in God to sponsor a new child. My page features children who have been waiting the longest, but you can specify more or other search conditions within the page. Just click this image below to get to it:

Just look at some of the beautiful faces who have been waiting so long to hear those life changing words that they’ve been sponsored:

The Act for Compassion Conference was absolutely amazing! So uplifting and inspiring. I will be sharing more on that soon, as I gather all of my thoughts and the information together.

I’ve received 2 new letters already online with the new letter writing system! One from my dear sweet little Elvis from Bolivia, and the other from my new correspondent child, Cristofer from Peru!

From Elvis I got the All About Me form and I learned some more about him. I learned his parents names and his siblings names and ages. What he says he does really well is drawing, and yes he does! He is about 3’4″ tall, he has black hair and black eyes, and his favorite game is soccer.

Translation: Appreciated sponsor Alisa, we greet you with much affection in our Lord Jesus Christ’s name. Elvis is very thankful to you for the help you give him. He wants to be a policeman when he is older to help other people. His favorite Bible story is about Noah’s arc. He likes to go to school and his favorite subject is language. He asked with all his love and affection and with all his heart that you take care. He also asked you to pray for him. We hope to hear news from you soon. Until the next opportunity. We wish you a lot of success. God always bless and keep you. With much love and affection, Elvis and Eva (tutor)

So sweet how much love is sent through in this letter! I absolutely love it! Now I know that I can send him more things with Noah’s arc, and how cool is it that the name of his center is Arca de Noah? 🙂 And I can see how big his heart is already in that he wants to be a policeman to help other people. What really impressed me was the drawing. Wow! So much progress from his first letter, and so beautifully done for a 5 year old! Trust me, I work with 5 year olds, and not a lot of boys this age draw this neatly. He has a talent for sure! 🙂

I just started my correspondence sponsorship with Cristofer in March, so I didn’t expect to hear from him already, but this letter was actually addressed to his financial sponsor still. She had sent him a financial gift as well, so it also came with the added bonus of a photo! I’m sad for her that she doesn’t get to see it, but I do love getting to see more of Cristofer and getting to know him a little!

Translation: Dear Sponsor ******, I want to tell you I am praying for you so God will bless you. I thank you for your gift of *****. I bought clothes. I want to ask you: How are you? How will you spend Christmas? I also want to tell you I am happy because I passed to 4th grade. I know, with the help of God, I will make progress and I will be an outstanding pupil. I say goodbye sending greetings and kisses for all of you. God bless you!! Cristofer

How great that he was able to get some new cartoon shirts with her gift- what boy doesn’t love those?? It sounds like he has a great little head on his shoulders, and I will definitely be praying for God to help him be an outstanding pupil too! And what a sweet drawing. I love the smiley face on the sun! I’ll have to ask him if he has a bike that likes to ride!

Tonight begins the Act for Compassion Conference. This week has been a very difficult one. I have a dearly loved one who has been in the hospital and now in a rehab facility who needs to recover both physically and emotionally, so it’s taken quite a toll. And along with that, I’ve been sick all this week, feeling quite tired and miserable. But despite all of that, I’m so ready for this conference. I can choose to feel blessed that God placed this Compassion conference in my life at the end of a difficult week, because He knew that I would need it for renewal. And more importantly, when He’s using me to help others, as is the case here, I know that He always provides for me to do His work. I’m just a happy servant, feeling blessed to be a part of His plan to help children far less fortunate than I am.

I can’t wait to share all about the experience, as I know it will be wonderful!

As a part of the Act for Compassion conference that I’ll be attending in 9 days, we’ll be doing our own Walk With Compassion. I’m so excited, because there’s never been a walk done near me before, and I think it’ll be a great experience. Since this one is just for Compassion sponsors attending the conference, it will be to give us an experience to see what the walk is. I can’t wait! Even though it’s not focusing on the fundraising portion, we are still able to sign up to fundraise. I’m sharing my fundraising page in case you feel so inclined to generously donate to, of course, a great cause. No obligations, and I don’t get any of the money, it all goes to Compassion, which we all support 🙂

I have still just received my introduction form letter from Angeles, but I am hopeful that another one is on the way soon! I still treasure this letter from her, knowing that she wrote and colored this before she had a sponsor, wondering, waiting, to see what would happen. I couldn’t believe she had been waiting awhile when I saw her picture and watched her video and fell in love with her. But it just shows that the reason that she was still available was for me to be her sponsor.

Letter 1:

Translation: Dear sponsor, I greet you in the name of the Lord Jesus. I want to tell you that Angeles studies at kindergarten with other children of 5 years old. She likes to study, draw, and paint with her friends Rebeca and Mariana. She would like to know, what is your name? Where do you live? She would like you to pray for her family. She says goodbye with a kiss. Favorite food: chicken and rice. (Secretary)